After years of conflict and instability, Iraq is opening up to tourism. Thanks to a new visa scheme, citizens of almost 40 countries can gain access q

Open invitation - Issue 144 - Magazine | Monocle

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2021-05-31 04:00:10

After years of conflict and instability, Iraq is opening up to tourism. Thanks to a new visa scheme, citizens of almost 40 countries can gain access quickly and easily – but will they come?

The garden of Baghdad’s Five Flowers restaurant and café overlooks the Al-Shaheed Monument, the city’s stunning Iran-Iraq war memorial. Over brunch, young Iraqis gossip as waiters zip by with plates of food. One waiter, Mortada Jellal, speaks to monocle in perfect English. “You might be surprised to hear this but you’re the first person I’ve ever spoken to in English in real life,” the 21-year-old says with a mischievous smile. “We don’t see a lot of foreigners in Iraq, not many tourists.” He hopes that will soon change.

In early March, in the wake of Pope Francis’s successful tour, Iraq’s prime minister, Mustafa al-Kadhimi, announced that the country would immediately begin issuing two-month tourist and business visas, on arrival at the airport, to citizens of nearly 40 countries, including the UK, EU member states, the US and China. The idea, according to a government statement, is to “encourage investment and support job creation”. They are clearly hoping that this move will persuade more people to visit. With the exception of Shia holy sites in the south, Iraq’s tourism industry has scarcely existed for decades. Foreign investment in the country has revolved primarily around war and oil. After nearly 20 years of conflict, Iraq’s government is betting that now is the time to open up again.

Whether the rest of the world will be interested is yet to be discovered. Most European and North American embassies still advise against visiting Iraq, which might make finding travel insurance difficult. The UK’s ambassador in Baghdad, Stephen Hickey, says that he hopes this will change – but he thinks that it will take time. “Iraq’s cultural history is absolutely incredible and the world could learn so much more about that,” he tells monocle , when we meet at the British Embassy in the capital. “And I’m sure in 10, 20, 30 years’ time, there will be huge amounts of cultural tourism coming to Iraq. There is huge potential there for Iraq and the region.”